gly’s Reviews > Anarchism and The Black Revolution and Other Essays > Status Update

"Capitalism will not die. It must be killed by the masses of its victims." (p. 16)

"Instead of the rich profiting from our misery, we can build local and regional programs to rebuild our communities and force the government to provide our communities with unrestricted funds under total community control until we can build our own financial base. We can even call this reparations if we choose to do so." (p. 16)

"We can [continue the work] by planting seeds of our own and understanding the significance of what we have to offer because of what others offered of themselves before us. This is how revolutionary potential can flourish and radical springs follow the winters that have weighed us down." (p. xiv)

“What is the thing we call government? Is it anything but organized violence? The law orders you to obey and if you don’t obey, it will compel you by force—all governments, all law and authority finally rest upon force and violence, on punishment or fear of punishment.” — Alexander Bergman, in ABC of Anarchism (p. 61)

“The existence of the state and a ruling class, based on the exploitation and oppression of the working class, are inseparable… This is why Anarchist-Communists argue that any attempt to use state power as a means of establishing a free, egalitarian society can only be self-defeating because the habits of commanding and exploiting become ends in themselves.” (p. 59)

“[Anarchist-Communists] wish to create non-authoritarian mutual aid organizations… neighborhood assemblies and cooperatives… not run for profit, but for social need… we can begin now to build the infrastructure for the communal society so people can see what they are fighting for, not just the ideas in someone’s head. That is the real way to freedom.” (p. 57) !!!

“[Anarchy] encourages innovation and experimentation, prompting its adherents to respond realistically to contemporary conditions. It is the concept of making ideology fit the demands of life, rather than trying to make life fit the demands of ideology… [they] believe in social revolutionaries to empower the masses of people... build[ing] organizations to build a new world, not to perpetuate domination” (p. 55)

“The reality is Anarchists are social revolutionaries, who seek a stateless, classless, voluntary, cooperative federation of decentralized communes based on social ownership, individual liberty and autonomous self-management of social and economic life. The political demands of the masses must take priority…” (p. 49)

“We need to preserve those things which need to be preserved in mass society during a transitional stage to Anarchist socialism. I do not mean preserve the state as any form of institution, but rather allow masses of people to create cooperatives to produce food, housing, and other social needs on a mass scale for themselves and others…” (p. 48)

“Federalism is a form of social organization in which self-determining groups freely agree to coordinate their activities. Federalism is not a type of anarchism, but it is an essential part… Federalism emphasizes autonomy and decentralization, fosters solidarity and complements groups’ efforts to be as self-sufficient as possible.” (p. 36)